Chapters will come in varying lengths.
So be it.
…
"...Shaw…..Shawn!"
Shawn grunts and wonders if it's too late to put on a sweater.
He's freezing.
"Shawn can you…"
He ignores the voice for a moment, much rather preferring the comforting darkness to it.
Their voice contains too much urgency, too much fear.
He feels a hand on his shoulder.
A shake.
His head gives a dull throb.
Shawn groans.
He vaguely recalls his head hurting at a different time, a different place.
"You're going to be….Sha….you need to…"
He finally places the voice in his head.
"Gu…?" Shawn mumbles, mouth unable to form the words.
It can't be though.
Gus is gone.
He remembers his father on one side of the table, Finley at the head, and Jules at the….
Oh, God.
He tries again.
"Gus?"
There's a sharp intake of breath.
A confirmation.
"Yeah, Shawn."
A question echoes in Gus's next words as he asks, "Can you open your eyes?"
Shawn doesn't understand the question for a moment.
He wonders when he closed them.
He squints and wonders too when the light became so bright.
"Shawn -" Gus begins and stops, voice suddenly leaving him.
He can't deal with this right now.
"How…..are you….?" Shawn begins.
He groans again.
His head is absolutely killing him.
Bringing his fingers up and around, he feels a goose-egg on the back of his skull.
He winces.
So that's why it's hurting so much.
He blinks bleary eyes up at Gus.
Gus's eyes are panicked, mouth gaping.
"What happened?" Shawn slurs.
He looks around his kitchen.
Can't remember when he invited all the cops to his house.
He spots his father in the corner, scowling at an EMT trying to place a bandage around his head.
Shawn assumes he'll be next.
"Shawn…." Gus utters, trying to get his attention.
Shawn ignores his best-friend for the moment, looking for his wife.
He doesn't remember the dream he had before waking, but he does remember the fear.
Shawn doesn't spot her.
He asks, "Where's….Jules?"
"Shawn, I really think…" Gus stammers, palms wiping on his pants.
Gus is a man of many things, but watching his best-friend face Finley while idly sitting by in a police-van is something he will never do again.
Shawn's head throbs dully.
He thinks about the last time he saw her.
"She's not...not in the...nursery...is she?" Shawn asks.
Gus looks at him confused. Wonders if the concussion is more serious than the EMT had let on.
"Shawn…." He begins, nervous.
The look on Gus's face makes it difficult for Shawn to breathe.
"Gus…" He slurs, more urgent, "Where...is….she?"
He tries to take a deep breath and finds that he can't.
Gus looks down at Shawn for a moment and realizes that he doesn't know how he can tell his friend, his best friend, what happened.
"Gus -" Shawn urges.
Gus's mouth flaps open like a fish, before he utters a quick series of nonsense words, trying to find one that will fit.
He doesn't find one.
Heart pounding, Shawn pushes himself up and out of the kitchen chair, not waiting for Gus's reply, already knowing what he won't find.
On two legs, Shawn leans heavily on the table in front of him, confused for a moment on the spinning room.
It's nauseating.
"Shawn -" Gus murmurs softly, hands jutted out ready to catch his friend if he falls, "Juliet hasn't been seen since -"
At here, Gus pauses.
Shawn squeezes his eyes shut tightly, ignoring the man.
He needs to find Jules now.
Shawn steps away from the table and from Gus's hands, suddenly envying this man who can't possibly know how he's feeling right now.
"You're lying -" He seethes, taking a step forward, but not towards Gus, towards the stairs.
The dizzying man attempts to make it to the nursery.
He makes it two steps before falling, hitting the floor with a jarring thud.
Pain blooms on both knees, but he ignores it.
The pain in his heart, in his head, is much worse.
"Jules?" Shawn calls out, broken, eyes directed towards the stairs.
"You can…..bring her….her to me. I'm not -" Shawn starts, leaning forward on his hands, he bends his head down.
Takes a shallow breath.
Can't remember if he is supposed to have four hands or not.
Alarmed, Gus reaches his friend, helping him up and pushing him back into the chair.
He doesn't understand what he's talking about.
But it doesn't take a genius to know it's not something good.
Shawn tries to resist, but even his strength has left him.
This is one hell of a game Finley has concocted.
Eyes never leaving the stairs Shawn asks for the first time, "Tell me".
Gus visibly swallows, shudders.
Shawn stares, unblinkingly.
Behind him, a voice interrupts, "Finley took her."
Henry steps forward, a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.
He pats Gus on the shoulder, giving him a nod.
"Finley took her, but we haven't lost Shawn. Not yet."
Shawn stares at his father as if he's gone crazy.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He asks sharp, moving his head back and forth between his father and the stairs.
"Shawn -" Henry bites out, forceful, "Juliet's not here."
He pauses a moment and waits for it to hit Shawn.
But Shawn doesn't seem to hear him.
"Jules!?" He calls again, towards the stairs, "It's okay….sweetheart. I'll hold Finley -" at this, he rubs the back of his head, grimacing - "I'll hold her…. sweetheart please…"
Shawn sways against the chair, voice straining.
Cursing the air, Gus walks away from Henry for the moment, going to grab the EMT.
This is insane.
Ignoring Gus, Henry goes and grabs his son by the shoulders.
Orders him to "Look at me, Shawn."
"Sweetheart….please…"
"Shawn," Henry grounds out, digging his fingers into his collarbone, leaving bruises, "look for a moment. Look, Shawn".
"What...about Jules….Jules?" Shawn asks, eyes finally leaving the stairs to look at Henry, questioning.
"How many badges Shawn?" Henry asks, bending down and meeting Shawn's eyes.
He won't lose his son.
Not like this.
"What?" Shawn asks, confused, neck straining back against the pressure of Henry's hands.
"How many badges Shawn?"
Shawn closes his eyes for a moment, balling his hands into fists.
Henry pushes the EMT Gus brought away.
He can handle this.
"Henry, I really think -" Gus begins, urging the EMT forward.
Henry stops both with a glare.
"Come on kid, your taking your sweet time on this one. How many badges?"
"14." Shawn finally murmurs, rubbing his hands over his eyes, "14."
"Good." Henry motions the EMT over to check on the back of Shawn's head.
As the EMT prods his head, Shawn finally realizes that he's not back in the nightmare he had before.
He's in an even worse one.
Finally taking what seems like the first breath of the day, Shawn stares up at both his father and Gus.
Waits a moment for the EMT to finish up.
He needs answers.
He ignores the obvious question of how she was taken.
Wonders what Gus can tell.
Wonders how he hasn't seen or heard from his wife's partner yet.
Stares briefly at his pale friend, a goal in mind.
"Where's Lassiter?" Shawn finally asks.
He should be running the scene, taking charge.
Gus rubs both hands across his head.
Curses low under his breath.
"Lassiter was shot, Shawn. He's in the hospital."
…
More to come.